


Nemesis | Soonwoo SVT

by qvestchen (maryshelleying)



Category: SEVENTEEN (Band)
Genre: Alternate Universe - College/University, Alternate Universe - Magic, Angst, Awkward Flirting, Contemporary Fantasy, Crushes, Death, Enemies to Lovers, Fate & Destiny, Fluff and Angst, Humor, Hurt/Comfort, Jealousy, M/M, Magic, Misunderstandings, Paranormal, Romance, Urban Fantasy, dorm au, kpop, side jihan, soonwoo, wonshi
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-08-13
Updated: 2020-05-29
Packaged: 2020-08-20 19:42:08
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 5
Words: 11,048
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20233312
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/maryshelleying/pseuds/qvestchen
Summary: It was really laughable. The idea that Jeon Wonwoo had a nemesis. And yet there it was. The clear proof that all his life, like a nagging dull ache, Kwon Soonyoung had stepped all over his plans without ever really acknowledging him.And maybe it was wrong for Wonwoo to seek him out but all he wanted was answers at first. He had never imagined they would stand opposite each other, fingers on triggers, his death in his nemesis’s hands and vice-versa.





	1. It was a surrealist meme

**Author's Note:**

> Hello, everyone. This is our first Seventeen story here. Hope you'll enjoy it.

Wonwoo looked at the schedule in his hand and scanned the corridor. His eyes found Room No. 67 and he walked to the glass doors with only a slight urgency of purpose being betrayed in his quick steps. He cursed under his breath as the door swung outside nearly crashing against his face. Whoever it was, didn’t even see him, choosing instead to continue on their way without a care in the world, happily talking on the phone.

He slunk into the department room, nodding to the man sitting on the small desk that served as a reception counter. “I have come to register myself for the 3 p.m. ‘Introduction to Persian Language and Culture’ course.” He placed a copy of his college ID and registration form on the desk.

“The course is closed,” the man responded without even looking up from computer screen.

“But—” Wonwoo began.

The man threw a sheet towards him. “The last spot just got filled.”

Wonwoo made a face, eyes dully scanning the sheet. His eyes stopped at the last name, widening in recognition.

_Kwon Soonyoung_.

His gaze flitted to the doorway. He asked, “Wait, the person who signed…t-this Kwon Soonyoung…was he the one who just left?”

The receptionist looked at him with a grimace. “Yes, and he was damn polite unlike you. Now, can I get my work do—?”

But Wonwoo was already rushing out of the small, air-conditioned room. His footsteps rang across the empty corridor. He looked right and left and followed a flight of stairs down and found himself in the ringing din of the English and Chinese language departments, a sharp contrast to the dusty, quiet floor above. People brushed past, someone knocking against his shoulder while he wildly looked for a sign, anything that he could zero in and recognize, something for him to pin the mystery of his life with.

The scattered conversations crawled at the nape of his neck as he strained to catch the words.

_\--I didn’t mean to—Have you seen—wait up, you f—I can’t believe I’m still—Shakespeare probably didn’t even—she doesn’t love me—are you free on—I flunked Chinese last time so—there can only be—save me from Proffess—which elective are—do you think the comeback—bro, the course is overflowing—are you coming to the party on Friday—we should start making the club flyers th—_

“Wonwoo? Wonwoo?”

Wonwoo turned around realizing the weight of a hand on his shoulder.

“Are you really spacing out in the corridor?”

Wonwoo made a face at his friend. “What are you doing here, Mingyu?”

“I came to sign up for my Literature elective but what are _you_ doing here?” the other boy asked, all smiles and mischievous eyes.

“I came to sign up for my Persian elective,” Wonwoo said, gesturing Mingyu to walk beside him.

Mingyu laughed his characteristic barking laugh and Wonwoo could see a couple of students stop and stare with intrigue in their eyes. This happened a lot when he was with his friend. Kim Mingyu excited interest everywhere he went. His tall frame and impeccable fashion made him stick out but his warm smile and constant chatter made him endearing. Everyone wanted to befriend him. Many wanted to date him and would have no doubt tried to make a move but since Mingyu mostly hung out with Wonwoo and his snarky aura, Mingyu was bordering on unapproachable.

“That’s on the floor above,” Mingyu said, still laughing. “I can’t believe you’ve spent a semester here and yet behave like you know nothing.”

“I went there. The registrations are full so it was a bummer and then I…” He trailed off, looking around one last time.

“And you decided to come find me? Aww, I knew you had a thing for me.” Mingyu joked, eyes twinkling. “But, sorry, Wonwoo, I don’t have any plans for a relationship right now. You know how tough it is for college-going people—Ouch, don’t hit me!”

“I wish we hadn’t met last semester. I can’t seem to get rid of you,” Wonwoo said, pushing him with his shoulder.

Mingyu grinned. He knew his words didn’t have any bite. They were best of friends and even though people always felt Mingyu was never in shortage of friends, it was him who depended on Wonwoo more. He was grateful for their little circle of friends.

Wonwoo added a bit wistfully. “I thought I saw someone.”

“Oh, wait a sec, this is my department. I’ll drop in and be back. Wait for me.”

Wonwoo nodded, taking out his Nintendo and was about to log on to a game when his phone buzzed with a notification. It was a message from Seokmin.

**Beyoncemin:** _Hey, come to the cafeteria asap_

_If you spot Mingyu or Minghao, get them too_

_They never reply to the gc_

A very small smile made its way across Wonwoo’s features. He began to reply.

**Wonwoollen:** _It’s because you and Seungkwan spam the gc with weird stuff_

**Pizzamin:** _They’re memes_

**Wonwoollen:** _It was an hour long video of just you saying “are you ready” and Seungkwan replying “I’m ready” last night_

**Pizzamin:** _ It was a surrealist meme_

_The drama club president Hoshi loved it_

_Hoshi is cool, he helped make it_

Hoshi. It was a new name but Wonwoo had already heard it repeatedly in glowing terms on a frequent basis at their cafeteria table ever since the new semester had started. Some ‘angel’ had descended on to the nearly defunct drama club last semester and over the course of the semester transformed it into one of the top clubs in the university this semester. Seokmin and Seungkwan who had just joined the club, now idolized the said ‘angel’.

**Pizzamin:** _Anyway, get everyone_

_I made a new friend_

_You all should meet him and make him feel welcome_

Wonwoo couldn’t resist an eye-roll. As much as he adored his friends, Seokmin had a habit of making a new friend every now and then and Wonwoo who was comfortable with sitting alone, found their friends circle increasing at an alarming rate. When he had come to the university last semester, he had totally imagined himself being a certified loner who could just sit back and watch life unfold in front him. Instead, he got adopted by Mingyu and Seokmin.

**Wonwoollen:** _I’ll bring Mingyu_

**Pizzamin:** _Hansol found Minghao so be here quick_

_Also, buy me a music notebook from the store since it’s on the way_

Mingyu emerged from the office, smiling, slightly red, and stuffing a small chit of paper in his pocket.

It was now Wonwoo’s turn to tease. “Let me guess, someone gave you their number?”

Mingyu blushed harder. “It’s not what you’re thinking. She said just in case I find the elective tough later.”

“Yeah, right.”

“So,” Mingyu said, changing the subject, “whom did you see? Was it someone pretty?”

“No, no. It was just…someone…I don’t know, I thought it was someone I keep meeting but not really meeting. It’s weird.”

Mingyu looked at him shrewdly. “Wonwoo, I think you have a crush. It happens to the best of us. You needn’t be shy about it. Minghao and I, we can help you with the wardrobe and Seokmin can give you some nice jokes so your dark personality doesn’t come to the fore.”

Wonwoo scoffed. “Thanks, but it’s not a crush and I love my personality the way it is.”

“Sure, whatever you say.”

They bickered all the way till the cafeteria, even making a stop for Seokmin’s precious notebook collection, where they were hailed by their friends.

Seungkwan shouted. “Last one to the table has to buy cupcakes for everyone.”

It was totally stupid and there was no need to race across the cafeteria for those tasteless cupcakes but Wonwoo found himself laughing aloud as he pushed Mingyu sideways and ran forward. Their friends cheered for them. Moments like these he totally forgot the little puzzle in his brain, the strange feeling that there was someone out there whom he kept meeting but only side-stepping, he forgot his fears, he forgot details of this other person he didn’t remember in full—the back of the head, the swing of the shoulder, a fraction of a cheek, the turn of the ears, the confident walk, the angle of the shoulders and that one time he had seen a quarter of a smile—he forgot all these little incomplete bits of the puzzle, he even forgot momentarily the name he tried to never forgot. _Kwon Soonyoung_. Whoever he might be, wherever he might be. Wonwoo didn’t care. He didn’t want to see the big picture. He just wanted to go on living this simple life where he was racing Mingyu to get out of buying some cupcakes.

He laughed at Mingyu who clutched his side, grumbling and coming in last.

Seokmin called their attention after everyone sat down on the table. “Alright, alright, now that we have shown our worst side, here is my new friend Yoon Jeonghan. He’s a History major, just like you Wonwoo.”

Wonwoo’s heart was thundering after the run to the table but as he looked back at Yoon Jeonghan and his easy, lazy smile, he felt a cold hand clutch at his throat. His eyes never left the newcomer who introduced himself to everyone in a comfortable, suave manner.

Jeonghan had blonde hair that was brushed immaculately in place, every strand glittering with every movement of his head. His eyes were lazy and then suddenly watchful and a slight smirk never left his sharp, angular face. He looked at you as if he knew everything about you, as if he knew you better than you yourself, and Wonwoo who led a quiet, private life felt unnerved.

“Absolutely lovely to meet you, Wonwoo. I look forward to studying History with you. I hope we can be the best of friends,” Jeonghan said, his tone affectionate and sinister at the same time, as if they had known each other since ages.

Wonwoo’s hands were clammy in the handshake and he wordlessly nodded, trying to retract his hand.

Thankfully, Minghao intervened. “Wonwoo’s a bit shy around strangers.”

“Oh,” Jeonghan said and withdrew from the handshake. “I’m sorry. I can be quite awkward myself.”

“It’s alright,” Wonwoo replied, feeling a bit embarrassed at already judging the newcomer who seemed genuinely apologetic. He shook his head to clear his thoughts.

“Talking about strangers,” Seokmin said. “I think someone has a crush on our Wonwoo.”

“Oh, you _have _to hear this,” Hansol said.

Seokmin said, “The two of us were just sitting here and discussing our electives and Hansol happened to mention that you decided to go for not-so-popular Intro to Persian because it’s really easy and scoring and not many people turn up for it and—” He started laughing.

“And,” Hansol continued, with a smile, “this guy on the table beside us literally screamed _WHAT _and fell out of his chair. Seokmin here goes, ‘Oh our friend, Wonwoo, went to sign up for the Persian elective because it’s easy’ but the man just bolted. He probably wanted to be in your class real bad. People these days.”

“No way,” Mingyu said, laughing now too.

“Shut up,” Wonwoo said, making an unimpressed face. “You’re making this up.”

“Who was it?” Seungkwan asked, totally interested. “This is amazing.”

Seokmin looked around the cafeteria. “He hangs around our table a lot. I’m sure you’ve seen him—Oh, there he is. His name is…uh, Joshua, I think? Yeah, he’s Joshua.”

Later, it was with stubborn determination that Wonwoo would explain to everyone that he had only looked out of pure human curiosity, the kind that makes people look up when an airplane flies by and nothing more.

Joshua Hong entered the cafeteria looking frantically around as if he had lost something important.

The fact that their whole table was looking at him was enough to alert him to their gaze. Wonwoo (out of pure human curiosity) watched with an expressionless face as Joshua’s eyes widened as he caught sight of something beyond Wonwoo. Wonwoo turned around to see what it was and it surprised him when he saw that it was Jeonghan and Joshua in a staring contest. The rest of the table needn’t have existed.

Jeonghan didn’t drop his gaze and raised an eyebrow as if in a challenge. Whatever it was, Joshua seemed to understand. He turned around and left the cafeteria.

Opposite Wonwoo, Minghao had caught the strange interaction too. Both of them looked away quickly, knowing that it was something they would discuss later.

“Well, that was weird. I’m going to go to my room and finish the last level of my game. Get me a cupcake, Mingyu,” Wonwoo said with a yawn.

Jeonghan raised a hand, putting his phone to his ear. “Just a sec. This is important,” he said to everyone. He spoke into the phone, “Hello, Soonyoung?”


	2. But he is cursed

Soonyoung was laughing, totally immersed in a joke that his friend, Junhui, was narrating when Jihoon scoffed loudly.

“Have you two even signed up for your electives yet?”

Soonyoung and Jun stopped laughing and threw him a dark look.

“Jihoon, loosen up when you’re at the drama club,” Soonyoung said, whining slightly. “We still have till tomorrow to decide.”

Jun nodded. “A decision made at the last minute is the best.”

Seungcheol who was lazily watching the three of them while going over Jihoon’s new music with Joshua grinned at Joshua and Jihoon. “Should I break it to them?”

Jihoon smiled. “Let me do the honours this time.” He straightened up from his position on the floor and cleared his throat. “Today’s the last date for applying for electives. Good luck getting any because I’m pretty sure all of the courses are filled up by now. The good ones, anyway.”

Soonyoung frowned, still disbelieving, reaching for his phone to check the date. “You’ve probably mixed up your da—oh shit, Jun, we got to rush. It’s today!”

The two of them scrambled up quickly jumping down from the cool stage, looking for their bags.

“Joshua, what happens if two fools don’t choose their electives?” Seungcheol asked, laughing fondly at his friends.

Joshua pretended to think. “Apart from the immediate embarrassment? I would say, failing the semester, seeing everyone else pass and ooh, or worse, expulsion?”

They laughed as Jun flipped them off.

Jihoon got up too. “I’m going to the studio—”

“You mean your dorm room,” Seungcheol corrected.

“What’s in a name?” Jihoon said, gathering his things. “Got to go, folks. Inspiration calls. Wait up, you two. I’m coming up.”

“I’m planning to go to the cafeteria too,” Joshua said. “I’ll grab a sandwich and finish my essay.”

Soonyoung, who was waiting for Jun at the door, said. “I don’t understand how you like the cafeteria food so much. Especially when now we have Jeonghan’s cooking to sample.”

Joshua visibly stiffened. “I’ll see you later.” He left without looking at Soonyoung.

“What’s up with him?” Soonyoung asked Seungcheol as they locked the drama club.

“He doesn’t like the new club member.”

“Jeonghan? He has barely known him for a couple of days. How serious can it be?” He said, looking at Joshua’s retreating figure.

Seungcheol shrugged. “I have no idea. He’s usually very welcoming to the new members.”

Jihoon said, “He’s probably just worried about his essay. He’s been writing it in the cafeteria since the start of semester.”

Jun cut across. “You’re all wrong. It’s the sexual tension.”

“O-kay, that’s our cue to leave,” Soonyoung said, dragging Jun to the Language and Literature block.

There was a huge line of students at the Chinese department so Jun suggested that Soonyoung should go ahead. “Unless you want to take the class with me which would be amazing, to be honest.”

“You’re Chinese. You’re going to ace it but it’s a bit too heavy an elective for me. Intro to Persian is famous for being a light elective. Let me just rush and sign up for it and come back for you.”

Soonyoung walked outside the department room and was immediately hit by the sound of students loudly discussing plans but the noise died out as he left the English and Chinese language departments behind and climbed upstairs to the quiet, dusty corridor which housed the small, air-conditioned room that worked as the reception of the Persian department. He knocked at the glass door and waited before poking his head inside. “May I come in?”

The man at the small reception desk looked up from the computer screen with intense dislike at having been disturbed from his solitary afternoon ruminations. “Since you’re here, you might as well.”

Soonyoung walked inside quietly, smiling a bit awkwardly. “I could come back later if you’re busy.”

Truth be told, the great ‘angel’ of the drama club who was famous for being loud, boisterous and confident, the friendly Soonyoung was, outside his drama club and otherwise small group of friends, a shy, polite person especially in front of people he didn’t know. Right now, he was a stark contrast to his popular image (Jihoon often joked “it is the Gemini in him”) but the fact was that he was all of this together, a complex person, a bit forgetful at times but an easily endearing person, the kind who made people feel at ease.

The man at the desk seemed to consider his words. “How can I help you today?”

Soonyoung smiled warmly. “I came to sign up for the ‘Introduction to Persian Language and Culture’ course. Wait I have my ID copy and registration form somewhere here.” He rummaged in his backpack, apologetically. “Ah, here it is.”

He was handed a sheet. “You’re lucky. We just had one spot left. Fill in your details, name, course, email and so on and sign here.”

“Oh wow,” Soonyoung said, writing down his name, “I am so grate—” His phone rang, a hip-hop number filling the small room. His eyes widened and he apologized, looking at his phone. It was Joshua probably calling to tell him that the cafeteria had some semi-edible delicacy. He silenced his phone, filling in the details and signing with a flourish, before picking up the phone. He nodded to receptionist. “Thank you for everything. I’m looking forward to the classes.” He winced as he heard Joshua nearly screaming out of his phone. “Hello, Joshua. You sound excited. What’s up? Yes, I just finished signing up for the Persian elective. No, no, I don’t want to change. I would love to study English but I would probably fail, see everyone else pass and ooh, or worse, get expelled?” He laughed his characteristic loud, happy laugh, swinging outside the door, not even realising that someone was standing right outside. If he had realized that he had nearly crashed the door into a very annoyed student he would have no doubt stopped and apologized profusely but as it was, he was totally immersed in the call with a frantic Joshua who, unsuccessfully, wanted him to change his elective for some inexplicable reason.

After Joshua mysteriously said a sudden goodbye, Soonyoung reunited with Jun in the Chinese department who was still standing in the queue. “You won’t believe it but I made it just in time.”

Jun said, “I hope I get lucky too. There’s so many people that I’m worried the course will get filled by the time my chance comes.”

As they waited, Soonyoung wondered aloud about Joshua’s strange call and recent behaviour in general. “I hope he’s okay.”

Jun assumed a saint-like expression. “I’m telling you it’s Jeonghan. I think Joshua is experiencing a crush for the first time ever.”

Joshua was, in fact, experiencing something totally different. After having reached the cafeteria and spotting Seokmin and Hansol, he had placed himself within earshot at a table nearby, pretending to work on his essay. He hadn’t expected to hear much but instead he got to know that Wonwoo had decided to take Persian.

He had been unable to stop himself from exclaiming in pure shock. “What!?” _No, no, that could not happen. He could not allow that to happen. Soonyoung and Wonwoo could not be allowed to cross paths._ As if on cue, the bracelet around his wrist heated up, the runes no doubt signalling impending disaster. He gathered his things into his backpack and between rushing to get up and calling Soonyoung simultaneously, he tripped and fell.

The loud exclamation and following fall alerted Seokmin and Hansol to him and Seokmin even began to reiterate the information but he was already rushing out of the cafeteria, nearly shouting in his phone.

He was crossing the threshold of the cafeteria when something in the corner of his vision seemed to slow down time.

A flash of blonde hair.

_Yoon Jeonghan_.

Maybe time did slow down because it must have been fraction of a second but Joshua could feel his heart drop as Jeonghan returned his gaze, a taunting smile foretelling his failure to stop things from happening. Still smiling, Jeonghan tilted his head in a greeting and then, time sped up again and turning back, Soonyoung’s voice sounding through his phone, Joshua’s heart dropped as he noticed Jeonghan walking to Seokmin and Hansol’s table.

He had been right. The Warlock was here to stay.

The scene vanished as he tumbled suddenly into a quiet classroom instead of walking out of the cafeteria. “Uh, Soonyoung,” he continued to speak in his phone, “please, don’t take the elective. How about you take English with me? Or, I don’t know, Geography, I’ve heard they still have seats.” But Soonyoung had already cut the line.

He jiggled his bracelet which was warning him of unauthorised magic use but at the same time burning with an urgency that he knew well to read. Soonyoung and Wonwoo were going to cross paths and here, his teleportation magic was shortcircuiting as usual. He groaned aloud. “I’m doing it for them. I’m not using magic for myself.”

He let out a breath, trying to calm himself down. _Okay, one more try_. He walked to the classroom door and turned the handle, closing his eyes as he walked out.

The air shifted around him and suddenly, he could smell old paper and musty air-conditioning. He sighed in relief on opening his eyes and found himself in the Persian department.

The man at the desk made an irritated noise at seeing him. “The course is closed.”

Joshua walked up to him with a small smile. “You are sleeping right now. I am a figment of your imagination. How about you move on to another dream?” He clenched his fist as his bracelet shuddered with the magic use. He wondered if it would work. Even if it did, it would only work for mere seconds. His magic was limited by the bracelet, taking a physical toll on him to work. Suddenly, a thought of Jeonghan crossed his mind. That one did not have a bracelet. _He must be immensely powerful_. Immediately, he shook his head. _But he is cursed_.

His magic seemed to be working for the receptionist eyes glazed slightly, eyelids drooping and his head lolled to the side as slight snores filled the air.

Joshua got to work. He crossed off Soonyoung’s name and details from the list, not even needing to check the list above the last name. Opening the folder beside it, he took out Soonyoung’s ID copy and registration form, stuffing them in his pocket. It took him less than five seconds and the receptionist had already begun to show signs of waking up. He walked to the door, turning one last time to mumble an apology and then, he was walking out.

The air shifted and he was wrinkling his nose, knowing already that his teleportation had messed up again. He was in the washroom beside the cafeteria. _Not as offtrack as it could have been though_, he reasoned, checking the runes on his bracelet. It was cool again, no warning signs. Disaster had been averted. Soonyoung and Wonwoo had been steered clear of each other.

He noticed that his hands were shaking and pursed his lips before walking out of the cubicle. He caught his reflection in the mirror. His face was ashen. The magic always took a toll, even if he used it for the right purposes. He washed his face and patted it dry with a tissue before walking out confidently.

If anyone had seen him walk out, they wouldn’t have thought him any different from any other student. That gave him comfort and he had even begun to smile a bit, feeling happy with his quick thinking when he walked into the cafeteria. His smile dropped as he found himself under the attention of everyone at the table he had earlier been eavesdropping on. He felt like he was suffocating as he saw Jeonghan sitting alongside Wonwoo.

He knew already that his efforts today were only temporary. Now that Soonyoung and Wonwoo’s lives had a thin common factor—Jeonghan. The warlock seemed to sense his thoughts and raised an eyebrow in challenge.

_Jisoo, won’t you come meet my new friends?_

His eyes bulged as he recognized the smooth, taunting voice in his head. Jeonghan knew his name. How did he know it? What else did he know?

_Get out of my head, Jeonghan_. He turned around and walked out of the place, finding himself inadvertently walking into the Chinese department where Soonyoung and Jun were still waiting for Jun’s turn at the registration.

“Joshua? What are you doing here?” Soonyoung asked, brightly.

_He looks so happy_, he thought, _he doesn’t know what I’ve done._ He wanted to say sorry for denying his friend his chosen elective. Maybe he could sign him up here. He opened his mouth to suggest it in some subtle way but no sound came out.

Jun clapped. “You’re joining this elective too? What made you change your mind?”

Joshua wanted to say something but his mouth had gone dry and even as he walked to his friends, his body was leaden. He could see their expression drop right before the world spotted and darkened.

The last thing he heard was Jun screaming.

It was, in fact, Soonyoung screaming. Together the two of them managed to haul him to the medic’s room in the building while a teacher rang up the campus hospital.

“Is he okay?” Soonyoung asked the nurse, his face stained with tears, after they had settled Joshua down a bit. It had only been minutes but Jun and him had panicked and called everyone. They were all on the way, including Jeonghan who had called Soonyoung and caught him crying.

The nurse smiled warmly at the two of them. “It’s exhaustion and probably stress but he’ll be fine. Don’t worry.”

“Are you sure?” he asked again. He looked at his friend who was now on the hospital bed. He looked tired, slight dark circles beneath his eyes and pale, blotchy skin.

“Maybe we should call his parents?” Jun said, worriedly.

They looked at each other, suddenly realizing they had no idea how to contact Joshua’s parents.

Soonyoung picked up Joshua’s jacket. “It will be on his phone.” He unlocked the phone easily, priding himself at knowing the passcode, but frowned when he looked at the contacts. He just had four numbers saved. _Soonyoung, Seungcheol, Jihoon and Junhui_.

Jun who was beside him looked surprised too.

“Well?” the nurse asked.

Soonyoung kept the phone back. “You could say we are his family. I’ll stay with him here tonight.”

“Okay, how about you get these medicines from the prescription here and get him and yourself a change of clothes and toiletries?” the nurse said.

Soonyoung was reluctant to leave but Jun nodded.

“Go. I won’t leave. Don’t worry.”

And so he was walking out of the hospital when someone’s heavy backpack knocked into his chest. He lost balance and grabbed at air, eyes widening as he realized that he was heading straight for the open window.

A hand caught his t-shirt and pulled him back.

“Watch where you’re going, will you?” Seungcheol said, steadying him. “If you fell from here, you would probably die.” He pulled shut the window pane, securing it firmly, after glaring in the direction of the person who had collided with Soonyoung. “I’m going to complain to the admin about these windows here.”

“It’s okay,” Soonyoung said, rubbing his chest. “I wasn’t seeing where I was going. You go ahead. I’ll just get these medicines and—”

“Jihoon is getting nightwear and other stuff so don’t worry. Should I get the medicines?” Seungcheol asked.

“Thank God for Jihoon. I’ll get the medicines though. You go ahead.”

When Soonyoung returned, he found his friends waiting outside the room. “What happened?”

“He’s sleeping right now so that’s fine,” Jun said.

Jihoon looked furious. “The nurse kicked us out because we were crowding the place.”

“We aren’t even that many,” Soonyoung said.

“Jeonghan dropped in with a friend. Remember the idiot who nearly killed you near the window here. That’s his friend, Jeon Wonwoo. I nearly told him off. Anyway, I politely thanked them but knowing Joshua wouldn’t be happy to see Jeonghan when he woke up, I somehow managed to get rid of them for now.”

The packet of medicines slipped from Soonyoung’s fingers.

_Jeon Wonwoo?_

“D-Did you say Jeon Wonwoo?” No, what he wanted to ask was, _he is real?_

He felt sick. The name was echoing in his head like a ghost haunting his veins. Wonwoo. Wonwoo. Wonwoo. The spectre which followed him only to disappear. Soonyoung had thought he had got over him. He had spent a good part of his high school life chasing after this name. Only to find nothing. He had sworn himself to let go, to forget, convinced himself that there was no such person, that everything that happened, every little incident, every whisper, was nothing, had told himself to stop looking for that glint of spectacles, that soft head of dark hair, that once-heard deep voice, because they were all red herrings.

“Yes, do you know him? He was kind of weird. I mean, he said he saw Joshua at the cafeteria when he was with you guys.”

And yet there it was. The name and the person.

He dialled Jeonghan’s number hurriedly. “Hey, is—is someone…this is going to sound weird but do you know…do you have a friend named Wonwoo?” 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> hello, hope you enjoyed the new chapter!
> 
> lots of things happened, we got to see a bit more about soonwoo's relationship of sorts, more about joshua (and his powers and limits) and jeonghan, and we met soonyoung's friends! what did you think of the chapter? are you ready for soonwoo to meet next chapter?
> 
> side note: "Introduction to Persian Language and Culture" is an elective course i took in uni. this is a little bit of a background story for this fic but in our uni this course was immensely popular among the students because it was supposed to be easy to score marks in. and it turned out to be true lol because of the structure of the course (rather than the content or anything else) and the fact that we only did basic language in the course. i actually enjoyed the course and loved learning the language and about the culture. persian is a beautiful language. unfortunately, my classmates and i, did not, even after a year of the course, become fluent. idk i thought this would explain this bit of the fic and some of the references that i'm using. most of the uni scenes in this fic are going to be typical uni student lives but with seventeen. 
> 
> thank you for supporting <3 love, positive vibes and great friendships!


	3. Felt like you teleported

"Who was it? Someone asking for Wonwoo from you?" Mingyu asked Jeonghan when he finished talking on the phone.

The three of them were sitting in Wonwoo and Mingyu's dorm room. Jeonghan and Wonwoo had just returned from their strange but unfruitful trip to the uni hospital, something Mingyu was still having trouble grasping.

"It was Soonyoung," Jeonghan said. "He was asking about you, Wonwoo. What is happening? Do you know each other?"

Wonwoo had not said a word since they had returned, obviously disappointed over something.

_He isn't even playing his game. What happened? _Mingyu had asked, only to get no answer.

But now Wonwoo looked up quickly. "Kwon Soonyoung? What did he say?"

"Alright, calm down, dude. Care to tell me what is going on or am I just talking to myself here?" Mingyu asked.

Wonwoo ignored him, clutching at Jeonghan's arm. "What was he saying? Can we go meet him?"

Mingyu sighed, turning away. "Okay, I see how it is. Replaced by a fairy today. Don't mind me. I'm fine. I always loved Seokmin more."

Jeonghan said, "Uh, well, he didn't really say much. He asked if I had a friend with your name and I said, yeah, he's here with me, want to talk? And he cut the phone saying...uh, some choice words."

Wonwoo was quiet.

Jeonghan chewed his lip. "Are you okay?"

"No," Mingyu groaned. "My best friend replaced me for a new guy."

Wonwoo cleared his throat. "It's obviously a mistake. Sorry, guys, I'm feeling tired. I'm going to turn in for the night."

Jeonghan and Mingyu exchanged glances and then, the latter mouthed, _Out, now!_

Once outside the door, Mingyu turned to him. "Look I don't really interfere but care to tell me what is going on? He is behaving strangely."

"I don't know. I at the cafeteria earlier—"

"I thought the other guy called you," Mingyu said.

"Oh did he?" Jeonghan scrunched his forehead thoughtfully before shrugging. "Well, that's not important. I don't even know you guys properly to be honest. I'm just as lost as you. Your friend just heard that Soonyoung's friend had an accident and demanded to accompany me to the hospital. It happened in front of you all. Don't blame me..." his voice trailed off as he looked at the floor. "I...I just wanted to be friends with you. Seokmin was so nice to me and..."

Mingyu's gaze softened. "No, no, you're misunderstanding me. I'm not blaming you. I'm really sorry if you felt that way. I was just..."

"I understand." Jeonghan smiled. "You're just worried."

Mingyu returned the smile, beaming. "Yes, exactly. And he's not big on communicating so I thought it's better to ask you."

"I guess, they have some history together. Wonwoo seemed like he knew Soonyoung and I've just recently got to know Soonyoung too so I can't say what exactly it is but seems like Soonyoung knows him too."

Mingyu looked at the closed door beside them. "I suppose we'll know if they ever meet."

Jeonghan's face was determined when he answered. "_When_ they meet." _Not if_.

**-**

He had waited till it was well past two before getting up and walking across his room. He opened the dorm room but didn't step out into the corridor outside. Instead he stepped into hospital wing, walking noiselessly to Joshua's bed.

Yoon Jeonghan stared at the sleeping boy, watching almost in fascination as moonlight lit parts of Joshua's peaceful expression. His eyes followed the turn of his lips, the slant of his nose and stopped at the tired dark circles beneath the eyes. He made a face.

He stood for a moment, as if silently debating something and then reached for Joshua's wrist, fingers grazing the bronze bracelet. Something like wild electricity crackled at the touch and Joshua moved slightly, sighing almost in relief whilst still asleep.

"You're weak," Jeonghan said, a sneer rippling across his features, and turned away, disappearing as silently as he had appeared.

Behind him, Joshua's face looked healthier than before.

**-**

"Wait, are you sure it's okay for him to be discharged so quickly? He fainted yesterday!" Soonyoung argued with the nurse.

Joshua smiled. "Soonyoung-ah, I'm totally fine and kind of embarrassed so drop it. Let's go before we miss our first class."

"You're not going to any class as far as I am concerned. We're going back to our dorm room where you will lay in bed and I will baby you around until you get better."

Joshua's eyes crinkled up as he laughed. "Okay, Mom. Let's just get out of here. I hate hospitals."

Soonyoung and Jun looked at each other at the mention of 'mom' but didn't say anything. _Later_, the message was clear.

But at the dorms, Joshua shooed them all away. "I'll stay with Jihoon. He doesn't have early morning classes and you all can go study."

Soonyoung and Jun left finally, promising to attend the first so Joshua didn't have to feel that they were missing out on their "absolutely important education". They walked out of the door in silence but soon Soonyoung spoke up, "I'm worried about him."

"Me too. All he does is work on his laptop and study. I don't even remember the last time he did something apart from studies and drama club. It's burning him out," Jun said.

"The nurse said he is exhausted and he looks it too. Maybe we should let his pa—"

"We should help him have some fun."

Soonyoung and Jun jumped at the sudden voice.

"Ah, did I startle you?" Jeonghan smiled, his eyes sparkling with charm. "I came to see Joshua but I heard you two first."

"You have a really soft tread." Soonyoung laughed.

Jun nodded. "Felt like you teleported here."

The three of them burst out laughing.

"But seriously," Jeonghan said, as they settled on the park benches near their dorm, "I feel like he needs to have some fun, take his mind of studies and maybe date someone nice. I don't know, maybe I don't even have the right to say all this. I really want to be there for him but sometimes I feel like he doesn't like me..."

Soonyoung looked at him with pity. Jeonghan's eyes were downcast and he was fidgeting with his sleeves. "Jeonghan, that's—that's not true."

Jun puffed out his chest. "In fact, according to my shrewd judgement, he has the hots for you."

Soonyoung spluttered. "Jun!"

"What?" Jun raised his eyebrows. "I know sexual tension when I see it."

Jeonghan coughed. "Jun, you're really funny. But coming back to what we were talking about, how about we host a party for him?"

"A party?" Soonyoung contemplated.

Jun's eyes immediately lit up. "A _Glad you're okay and we love you to bits_ party? Can we have a proper huge party with good drinks and games and a DJ and a huge guest list because there's this guy I really want to ask out?"

"Exactly," Jeonghan reacted with equal excitement. "Let's go big!"

Soonyoung interjected. "How will we host a party when all of us are broke?"

The other two nodded, shoulders slumping.

Jeonghan looked around the campus park and he smiled. "Maybe we won't need to host one at all. Get everyone ready for the best Friday night party of your lives!"

"Wait—"

But Jeonghan was already gone, shouting "Dino-ya! Dino, hey, wait up!" to someone walking out of the park.

"Isn't Friday today?" Jun asked.

Soonyoung sighed.

**-**

"And why are we going to this party again?" Joshua asked, making a face, as Soonyoung fussed with his jacket one last time.

His friend stood back and looked at him, obviously happy with his work of stealing Seungcheol's faux leather jacket and having Joshua wear it. He messed up his hair a bit. "You look like you're going to steal a few hearts tonight."

Joshua rolled his eyes. The jacket felt odd on him and he wished he was wearing a band t-shirt over ripped jeans like Soonyoung minus the choker that his friend was obviously happy wearing. 

"We are going because our friend Dino is hosting a Friday night party and the average college student attends parties on Friday nights so here we are!" Jun grinned.

Jun looked drop dead gorgeous and confidence flashed out of his excited smile. He did a turn, his jacket and jewellery glittering against the moonlight.

"That reminds me. Since when did we have a friend named Dino. You all are such liars," Joshua said, trying to turn back.

Jihoon put a firm grip on his arm. "I hate to be here but there's no way we're going back." He had turned up in a hoodie and sweatpants, looking the picture of annoyance, and Joshua wondered how they had convinced him.

"Let's go!" Soonyoung said, opening the door and walking in.

Joshua sighed and followed his friends inside. He was the last to enter but he felt the room's energy shift into something darker as something whistled through the air towards Soonyoung. He lunged forward to pull him back but he knew he was already a second late. There was a sickening sound of an object hitting a hard surface and he closed his eyes fearing the worst as several voices screamed out.

The DJ stopped the music.

"Well, fuck, that was a near save."

He opened his eyes at the voice and looked at Soonyoung who was smiling weakly, pointing to a dart lodged into the wall beside, _a dart that landed a considerable distance away from the dartboard, a dart that had narrowly missed Soonyoung's eyes, missed them by a hair's breadth..._Joshua felt like he couldn't breathe.

From somewhere in the crowd, Seungcheol could be heard saying loudly, "Which idiot threw that?"

Someone walked up to Soonyoung and said in a shaky voice, "Are you okay? I am so sorry. I don't even know how it went there. I promise I'll never even touch a dart from now on. This was actually my first time. Oh God, are you okay?"

"Nothing happened so it's all cool. No worries," Soonyoung said, smiling, as the colour returned to his face. "Though you should stay away from darts for a bit." He stretched out his hand. "Should we just introduce ourselves and pretend like we didn't meet over my attempted murder?"

The DJ turned on the music again and the crowd went back to dancing and talking, seemingly disappointed that there was no drama.

The other boy reached out to shake his hand. "Really sorry and yeah, I would like that. I'm Wonwoo, by the way, from History department and those over there are my idiot friends who told me playing darts was a good idea."

Soonyoung's smile slipped. "You're him."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> hi! so sorry it took ages to update but we were busy with work and studies.
> 
> hope you all liked this chapter. there is so much going on and lots of little easter eggs scattered across the story for our lovely readers so let us know how you are liking the story so far and what you think might happen next?
> 
> next update soon(woo)er than you think~~ 


	4. Tigers don’t fly

“I’m Wonwoo, by the way, from the History department and those over there are my idiot friends who told me playing darts was a good idea.”

Joshua felt his heart stop as he watched Wonwoo introduce himself to Soonyoung. He lunged forward unthinkingly, not even having a plan. He had to separate them. He couldn’t allow the sworn nemeses to meet. 

But before he could reach Soonyoung, someone stepped in and put an arm around his elbow. “Just a second, Jisoo.”

_ Jeonghan _ . 

_ Jisoo or Joshua? Which do you go by these days?  _ Jeonghan’s hold around his elbow was firm. 

Joshua could hear over Jeonghan’s thoughts, Soonyoung’s voice, reacting slowly to Wonwoo, “You’re him,” and he knew this was the beginning of the end. 

_ Or Joshuji? Would you like that, Joshuji? _

_ Fuck off.  _ Joshua shrugged out of his hold. 

Jeonghan leaned forward, stopping by his ear. “You’ve already lost this one. Go home and tell your masters that you failed. Maybe you’ll get a reprimand and a new assignment.”

“Nothing is over yet,” Joshua hissed. He nearly ran to Soonyoung’s side. “Hey, I don’t feel well. Maybe we should head back—”

His words might as well have been thoughts because right at the moment a very loud boy jumped between Wonwoo and Soonyoung, drowning out his words. “Wonwoo! You met Hoshi,” Seokmin said, beaming with delight.

Wonwoo raised his eyebrows, looking at his near-victim with renewed interest. So this was the famous drama club president Hoshi who had saved the failing club last semester. His eyes followed the slight pout of his lips, his adorable nose and the soft-looking hair. Truth be told, this Hoshi guy looked a bit stunned still, no doubt reeling from the after effects of nearly being hit by a dart, but even then he was radiating a certain endearing warmth. Wonwoo found himself grinning. “Oh, you are Hoshi? I have heard so much about you—”

But Soonyoung was pulling away. Looking definitely green in the face, he could suddenly feel the bass pumping in his head. Unable to breathe, he felt like the roof was crashing on him. 

Someone was calling his name out, a dull sound against the party, but he didn’t stop. He needed to get away. 

Finally, he found himself outside. Having escaped the loud party and  _ him _ , he hadn’t even taken his first gulp of air and he was throwing up, retching against the ground, nearly doubling over. 

“Hoshi?” 

Someone was rubbing his back, repeating his name in a soft voice. “It’s okay. You’re fine. I got you. I got you, Hoshi.”

_ “I got you, idiot. You can do it.” _

_ “I can’t do it, Wonu.” The small boy stared at his friend, both kids staring at the swings in the playground. _

_ “Are you scared?” Wonwoo asked, furrowing his brow as he looked at his new friend who was still contemplating playing at the swings. _

_ Soonyoung pouted. “What if the swing is too powerful and I fly off into space?” _

_ “It is not. I try it every day. I will catch you if you start flying, Soong.” _

_ Soonyoung stared at the swings with sudden determination. “I won’t fly. Tigers don’t fly.” _

_ Wonwoo nodded. “Tigers are basically cats and cats land on all fours.” He added quickly with a proud eye-roll, “I read it in a book.” _

_ “You’re so smart, Wonu. Okay, I’m going for it.” _

_ “I got you. You can do it!” _

_ And he could. He laughed happily, earning a thumbs-up from his friend. No, his best friend. Because even though they had just met, he knew they were going to be friends forever. _

_ But the next day, Wonu was gone. _

** _-_ **

_ “Dad, can I stay longer today?” _

_ “It’s already dinner time. You should come home like the other kids. Playgrounds are not fun after dark.” _

_ “I’m just waiting for Wonu.” _

_ “Who is Wonu? Did you find a cat or something to play with? You know we can’t take strays home.” _

_ “He’s my best friend.” _

_ “We moved here a day ago. You already have a best friend?” _

_ “Yes,” Soonyoung said, shining with pride. “He’s very smart and reads books. Do you know a cat always lands on all fours. They can’t fly. Tigers too.” _

_ “Okay,” Dad looked amused. “Well, how about we meet your friend tomorrow? I don’t think he will come today.” _

** _-_ **

_ Soonyoung could hear them talking in low voices. _

_ “...have asked every parent with kids in the playground. They’ve asked their kids. No one knows any Wonu.” _

_ “Soonie will be sad.” _

_ “We just need to educate him about imaginary friends. We all have them when we are young. He’ll understand. He’s very intelligent. He started reading illustrated books, you know? Our boy is going to grow up into a fine man.” _

_ “He takes after me.” _

_ “Honey, surely you’ve never read anything beyond the syllabus.” _

_ “Hey, don’t be mean.” _

** _-_ **

_ “Let’s go home, Soonie.” _

_ “No!” _

_ “We already talked about this.” _

_ “He’s not imaginary. He’s real. He is real!” _

“Get away from me,” Soonyoung gasped, as he gained some control over his body.

“It’s me, Wonwoo. We just met but...uh, here, you can use my handkerchief. Stay, I’ll get some water for you.”

“Jihoon! Cheol!” Soonyoung shouted, instead. 

“Woah, calm down, dude.”

“Stay away from me! You’re not real. He’s not real.” Hoshi closed his eyes as he backed away, still calling out for his friends. “Joshua! Cheol! Help me! Junhui! Someone, help me!”

Wonwoo watched in shock, taking a step forward but Hoshi backed further, prompting him to stop.

Someone ran past, a blur really. “ _ Soonyoung, stop! _ ”

And Soonyoung felt arms grab him almost too strongly. “I’m here. No one can hurt you.” He opened his eyes and found himself staring in Joshua’s eyes and something like fire glared back. The fire was spreading now, an invisible shield enveloping him, searing him almost but as the world began to darken at an alarming rate, he felt a comfort in its burn. Joshua was real. Not like— 

He grabbed at Joshua desperately, the hold tightening when he saw Wonwoo still standing in the same spot. 

His voice was hoarse from shouting when he whispered, “Can you see him?”

But there were more people now. A very angry Seungcheol already grabbing at Wonwoo’s collar. “What did you do to him?”

Wonwoo staring at him in shock and trying to escape from Seungcheol’s grasp. “I swear, I-I didn’t...He just started shouting. He was sick so I was just…Hoshi, I-I…”

Junhui and Minghao, recently acquainted over mutual appreciation to find someone from back home, had arrived to see Seungcheol nearly murdering Wonwoo but when Junhui caught sight of Joshua holding his friend, he ran forward forgetting his initial impulse to separate them.

“Soonyoung?” he shouted, panic tearing at his voice. “What happened? Is he hurt? We need to call an ambulance.”

Wonwoo stopped struggling at the name.  _ Soonyoung? _

Minghao was already on the phone. He sent an SOS to both the medical center and Mingyu. “Done. Now, leave my friend alone.” The last part was aimed at Seungcheol.

“He hurt  _ my _ friend.”

Minghao’s jaw was clenched. “Did you see him do that? No? Then, we don’t know shit. Leave him right now or I’ll…”

“Or what?” Seungcheol squared himself up. “ _ You _ will fight me?”

Joshua narrowed his eyes at the exchange. “Seungcheol, don’t.”

“No, but I will and I took boxing classes all my life.” Mingyu appeared on the scene, somehow managing to avoid tripping on the water hose in the garden. He pulled Wonwoo behind him, wedging himself between Seungcheol and Wonwoo. 

“Oh, yeah?”

Soonyoung couldn’t hear the exchange following that. All he could hear was Joshua’s uncontrollably loud heartbeat against his ear and his own thoughts.  _ Yes, there was comfort in this too _ , he thought.  _ He was real, he had always been real _ .

_ But that meant everything else had been real too. _

He smiled and then the shadows swallowed him up.

**-**

“So, if I had managed to hold you inside the party for two more minutes, Soonyoung would have stepped on the electric cable intersecting the water hose, and you would have been free by now.” Jeonghan’s taunting voice echoed in the hospital bathroom, lilting over the running tap at the end.

For once, Joshua didn’t have any response. Nothing to bite back, to argue, just his own heart-wrenching sobs wracking his body. As soon as he had felt the guardian bracelet heating against his skin, he had pushed Jeonghan away, making his way through the crowd of people dancing on the floor. When he had seen his friend backing away, unaware of the mortal danger behind him, the sparks of the torn cable, licking against the water collecting outside the water hose, he had felt as if someone had kicked him in the chest. What were the chances of an incident like this? Always bordering 100% on his job. He hated this job. He hated the nemesis complex. He had forgotten everything, commiting the crime of performing magic in front of humans, to run to his friend. Not his assignment. His friend. 

As he cried his fear out in the empty bathroom, he was reminded that his first crime had occurred much earlier. As a guardian, he was supposed to remain objective. He wasn’t supposed to become emotionally involved. He wasn’t supposed to be crying in a hospital bathroom.

“But, you know, there is something I don’t understand. You didn’t raise a finger to protect the other one. You know, Soonyoung’s nemesis, Jeon Wonwoo. He was in danger too because of our friend with anger management issues. I really think Seungcheol should lessen the macho concept but I don’t really care about that. I am just interested in the fact that you seem to be guarding one and not the other. If I didn’t know better I would say your loyalties are biased.” Jeonghan stared at Joshua with interest. 

That hurt. Joshua’s mind flickered back to Wonwoo. The scared boy standing in shock, trying to defend himself against everyone’s questioning eyes. With Soonyoung in his arms, Joshua had forgotten Wonwoo. Jeonghan was right. To think that even the Warlock was better at this than him. 

_ The way you are behaving people would think that someone died. Chill, Joshuji, he just passed out from shock. Anyway, from what I can sense, he is about to wake up in 3...2... _ Jeonghan smiled as Joshua pressed past him.

**-**

“I swear, I didn’t do anything,” Wonwoo said tensely, as he paced outside the medical center. He had been told pretty bluntly by Seungcheol and someone called Jihoon to not even dare to come inside. 

Seokmin looked at him in worry. He was still processing what had happened. The rumour at the now dispersed party was that Wonwoo had beat up Soonyoung, the Uni’s most adorable guy. They had all been thrown out by Dino who had threatened to call the police for creating a ruckus at his house which also turned out to be the Dean’s house. Everyone had scampered off quite quickly after it. 

Beside him, sat Seungkwan nursing a black eye from having got into a fistfight with someone while defending Wonwoo’s “name and honour. Stop lying about Wonwoo, he wouldn’t hurt a fly”.

Mingyu grabbed Wonwoo’s hand. “Hey, we know you didn’t. Just sit for a moment. He’ll be fine. You’re worrying too much.”

Wonwoo seemed to break out of a trance and looked at his friends. He took a deep breath. “Sorry.”

The little puzzle in his brain, the strange feeling that there was someone out there whom he kept meeting but only side-stepping, his fears, the eerie feeling of being followed by a shadow, details of this other person he didn’t remember in full—the back of the head, the swing of the shoulder, a fraction of a cheek, the turn of the ears, the confident walk, the angle of the shoulders and that one time he had seen a quarter of a smile—he had a feeling that the puzzle with all its incomplete bits was unravelling. 

_ Kwon Soonyoung _ . 

He was there, within reach. 

He winced as the scar on his knee pulsed with pain at the memory of that other encounter with the name. It felt like a lifetime ago, a remnant of a nightmare. Out of a habit that he had thought he had outgrown, he pressed his knee with his hand as he sat down. 

Before he could speak, Minghao and Hansol appeared, walking down the steps. Hao spoke up, “He’s fine. The nurse said it’s just shock. They said a lot of students have issues at the start of the term, course pressures and so on. They gave him something for it. He should be up and about in a few minutes.”

Wonwoo knew it wasn’t ‘course pressures and so on’. The shock had been because of him. He had seen fear in Hoshi’s--no, Soonyoung’s--eyes. 

Because it had turned out to be  _ him _ . The smiling, friendly Hoshi had turned out to be the shadow from his past.

So much for Mingyu and Seokmin dragging him to a party to keep his mind off his worries. He had met the source of them head-on, without even realising it. 

But he was okay, at least. He gave a sigh of relief. 

“So, it wasn’t Wonwoo, see!” Seungkwan said, jumping up. “I’m going to report everyone at that stupid party to the admin for defamation. Especially those thugs, Seungcheol and Jihoon.”

“Let’s just go home,” Wonwoo said, getting up.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> hello everyone! it has been ages since we last updated, we apologise. if you're still reading this fic thank you so much. we love you. we will try to update more often now. please be safe everyone!


	5. You can just date me

_Avoidance_.

Soonyoung had woken up at the medical center to find the Dean, Mr. Lee Yu Jin, waiting for him. 

“Ah, Kwon Soonyoung, is it? You had us all worried for a bit there, my boy,” Mr. Lee said, his smile not really warm.

Soonyoung tried sitting up and felt a drip attached to his hand pinch slightly.

“Oh, no need to greet me. Take rest. The nurse told me you’re exhausted. The second student from drama club to end up here in the past couple of days I have been told. As President, you should really tone the drama club activities down a bit. We don’t want our rising club to fail because of overwork, right, my boy?”

Soonyoung nodded slowly, not really understanding why the Dean was here at all.

“You all should have fun too. Rest, have fun, study, and so on. I must say, I would appreciate it if you don’t party at my house in the future.” Mr. Lee laughed, seeing Soonyoung’s panic at the revelation. “Don’t worry. I know my son, Chan, hosted the party. He doesn’t listen to his father at all.” He got up and handed Soonyoung his card. “Let me know if there is anything you need. I feel responsible for what happened on Chan’s behalf.”

“It’s no problem. He wasn’t involved,” Soonyoung said.

Mr. Lee muttered something that sounded suspiciously like “It would do him well to not get involved, for once.”

Soonyoung’s curiosity was piqued but he didn’t ask further. 

_Avoidance._

His friends asked him all sorts of questions. He chose to laugh it out.

“Really, I have no memory of what happened after entering the party. I had taken a shot of some weird tasting drink from Jihoon earlier so that must be it.” He laughed. “I really shouldn’t trust Jihoon’s wine cabinet from now on.”

Jihoon made a move as if to choke him. “Hey, my wine cabinet is exquisite, okay?”

Seungcheol laughed. “Didn’t you buy it off someone’s garage sale? It must have lots of expired items in it.”

“Wow, you had food poisoning? Cheol here nearly murdered a guy over your food poisoning, dude,” Junhui said.

Soonyoung’s smile dropped. _Wonwoo_. “You what?”

Junhui continued, “And that too when I was about to exchange numbers with that guy’s friend. Now, I have no date.”

Jihoon pushed Junhui. “Oi, priorities?”

Soonyoung tried to joke and smile again. “You can just date me, Junnie.”

Jun made a gagging sound. “I’m not that desperate, ugh.”

Joshua looked unconvinced by the banter. Soonyoung knew he wasn’t buying any of this. He also knew his friend had been crying. It hurt him to see the pale redness at the edges of Joshua’s eyes. He wanted to talk to him, to thank him…he didn’t.

_Avoidance_.

When he was fourteen, his therapist had told him he had trouble with facing his problems. 

“Soonyoung, you can’t avoid your problems forever. Avoidance breeds toxicity.”

What was he supposed to say?

Facing his problems had led him here.

“Now, will you tell me what is bothering you?”

He didn’t.

_Avoidance_.

When he was discharged from the medical center and alone in his dorm room for a bit, he opened his inbox to see if _he _had contacted him.

There were several messages.

There were messages from his drama club members.

“Hey, I’m sorry you fainted. Hope you’re feeling better now, Hoshi. Wonwoo wouldn’t have hurt you. He’s a nice guy. He just looks scary.” --Seungkwan.

“Hoshi! Please get better soon. We need our Tiger back.” --DK

“Wonwoo got off on the wrong foot. He’s a friend. I’m sure he didn’t mean any harm.” --DK

And messages from random people.

“HEARD YOU GOT BEAT UP?”

“Are you okay?”

“You owe me 15 dollars! Don’t die yet!”

And calls from his parents.

He wondered who had told them. He sighed. There was a part of him that wanted to call them right now and tell them that he had been right all along. Jeon Wonwoo did exist. He was here in the university where he was studying. They, apparently, even had common friends. He wanted to shout and scream. He wanted to be comforted because he had been wronged all these years. 

Instead, he messaged, “Mom, Dad, I’m well. Don’t worry. I’ll call in the morning.”

_Avoidance_.

Wonwoo was walking beside Mingyu as they made their way to the language building for their respective electives. The crowd was louder than usual today. There were still whispers but they seemed to be more about Wonwoo than Mingyu today. 

_Did you see him--yes, that one there--he beat up Hoshi--yes, the dark haired one--he beats up kids often--what’s Mingyu doing with him--oh, he even blackmails people--yes, he beat up Hoshi over nothing--the boy was hospitalized--he’s going to be expelled--his parents must be rich--he doesn’t even feel guilty--look at him--he beat up Hoshi--stay away from him--he’s a punk--poor Mingyu, for having such friends--he needs some sense knocked into--_

Wonwoo tried to grin. “I don’t think you’re the center of attention anymore, Mingyu.”

Mingyu didn’t smile back. “They’re all so wrong. How can people spread lies like this?”

“You shouldn’t wander around with me or your reputation will get tarnished too.”

Mingyu slipped his hand around the crook of his elbow. “Then, let it.”

Minghao appeared from nowhere. His windswept hair suggested that he had been running. He wordlessly placed his arm around Wonwoo’s neck. 

“What?” he asked, looking at both of his protective friends.

Minghao rolled his eyes. “At least Mingyu and I are just doing PDA. Seungkwan is fighting everyone and Seokmin is trying to get Hoshi to tell everyone you’re innocent.”

Wonwoo decided he liked the name Hoshi better. It didn’t knock the air out of his lungs every time it was uttered. Hoshi...he could nearly pretend Hoshi wasn’t Soonyoung. 

_Avoidance_.

When Wonwoo had got a call from the Persian Department, he had been surprised. 

“Wait, does that mean I’m in?” he had asked.

“Yes, someone backed out of the course. We have one seat open. Do you want it?” the clerk sounded just as bored on the phone as he did in person. 

Wonwoo was beyond grateful. He didn’t have any elective as a back-up. “Yes, yes, I’ll take it. Thank you.”

“Come to the office and collect the syllabus and course materials.”

But when he dropped off his friends at their electives and finally reached Room 67, he was met by a commotion.

“What do you mean you gave my seat to someone else? How can you do that?” 

Wonwoo frowned. _What was happening?_

The clerk was explaining coldly, “Your name was crossed out. There was one person in the waiting list so we gave it to him.”

“How am I supposed to find a new elective now? All courses are probably closed. Besides, I didn’t cross out my name. So, why should I suffer?” the student said.

“We can’t help you, I’m afraid. The other student was already informed--Oh, there he is! You can ask him if he can give you his seat? It’s really not my problem anymore.” The clerk yawned to emphasize his point.

The student turned around and his mouth dropped on seeing Wonwoo. 

Wonwoo recognized him immediately and took a step back. 

Soonyoung’s gaze went cold after the recognition. He closed his mouth and sighed, mumbling, “Of course, of all people...it had to be him.”

“H-Hoshi,” Wonwoo finally said.

“Never mind,” Soonyoung told the clerk. “I’m not interested anymore.”

_“What is happening here?” _

Both of them turned to look at the newcomer.

The clerk stood up quickly. “Oh, Professor Nusrat. Uh there has been a small misunderstanding.”

Professor Nusrat was middle-aged and stood remarkably straight. Her clothes were beautifully embroidered and complemented her nails and jewellery. She quirked an eyebrow and asked in a dangerously strict voice. “Really?”

Soonyoung was the one who spoke up. “This guy stole my seat for the elective and now I’m left without an elective even though I signed up earlier. The clerk refuses to help me now.”

Wonwoo gaped at him.

_He stole so much from me. This is the least I can get back_, Soonyoung was thinking, suddenly seething with anger. All those years spent searching and doubting himself. Those years, Wonwoo had stolen from him. And now suddenly, he was here stealing his life again. _I’m not going to let this happen_. 

Wonwoo said, “Professor, I don’t know what his problem is but I got a call from the office that I got the seat. I didn’t _steal_ anything.”

He was so annoyed. He had been patient with the rumours. No, he had been patient _all along_. He had avoided all the signs. He had patiently let go of everything that had been poisoned by Soonyoung but as the scar on his knee itched again, he couldn’t help but think _no more, I’m not going to settle anymore_.

Professor Nusrat looked at both of them. “Are you sure this is about the seat?” She didn’t wait for an answer. “Anyway, I didn’t know our elective was getting so famous suddenly. I can’t believe people are fighting to join it. Pleases me no end. You both can join. It’s not an issue.”

The clerk made a protesting noise.

Professor Nusrat repeated. “_Not an issue_. Come along. The class has already waited long enough because of the noise.”

There was, however, only one empty seat at the back of the class. 

“Minseok, get a chair from my room. Woojin, come to the front. You both,” she said to Soonyoung and Wonwoo, “can take those two at the end.”

Wonwoo was making his way to the freshly vacated chair, followed by Soonyoung, when he tripped over someone’s bag. He grasped at air, feeling himself fall forward, eyes widening--

And then suddenly, he wasn’t falling anymore. A strong hand caught his arm and pulled him back. Still, unable to balance, Wonwoo fell slightly back, into Soonyoung’s chest. 

He was already apologizing when he turned to look at Soonyoung and his heart seemed to clench almost painfully. 

He was so close to Soonyoung, he could see the flecks in his eyes, the slight quiver of his lips forming a word, his breath catching sharply, the way his skin was reddening so perceptibly as he felt Wonwoo’s gaze upon him. 

Someone coughed and now, Soonyoung was pushing him slightly. 

Wonwoo regained his balance and wordlessly moved ahead. He knew his ears were burning hot, he could feel his heart hammering in his chest and there was an almost hysterical laugh building in his throat. 

Because, in that moment when Wonwoo had stared back at Soonyoung, feeling him so close to himself, he had nearly done something he could have regretted later. He had nearly said, “You’re beautiful.” He had no idea where the thought had come from. It was certainly not his usually level-headed brain. 

He was glad he had avoided the silly statement. 

But he didn’t know.

He didn’t know that in another classroom, Joshua was tugging at his burning bracelet which was warning him of something.

Something that Joshua knew but tried to ignore, something that Soonyoung and Wonwoo still didn’t know.

Jeonghan was on the terrace of his dorm. He wondered when they would find out that _no one could avoid fate_. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for being so patient! Hope you enjoyed the update. The next chapter will have a few revelations so please look forward to it :)

**Author's Note:**

> Thank you for reading our first Seventeen story on ao3. Please support this story, Soonwoo and SVT. Love and positive vibes~~


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